Pocket hand-lamp



J. GRAVES.

POCKET HAND LAMP.

APPLICATION FILED NOV- s. 1919.

1,375,586. Patented Apr. 19, 1921.

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l 5 -26 E Q LWMJ J 55 J. GRAVES.

POCKET HAND LAMP. APPLICATION FILED NOV- s, 1919.

1,375,586. Patented Apr. 19, 1921.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- I 60 I i 4 f 34 V I l i [I i v lr' I 21 L I F l I w l I II V5 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFICE.

JOHN GRAVES, 0F MADISON, WISCONSIN, ASSIG-NOR T0 FRENCH BATTERY &'CARBO1\T (30., OF MADISON, WISCONSIN, A CQREORATION OF WISCONSIN.

POCKET HAND-LAMP.

T 0 all whom it may concern light bulb, and a dry battery, so combined that the electric bulb is lighted by a current supplied by the dry battery, the lamp and battery being separated by an insulating block or plate rigidly secured inside the case, and provided with a perforation therethrough entered on opposite sides by terminal members communicating with the battery and lamp, said terminals being connectible, more or less directly, together for completing the electric circuit between the lamp and battery.

X The object of the invention is to provide a novel mechanism for providing electrical connection between the electric terminals on opposite sides of the plate.

The invention consists in means carrying out the foregoing objects which can be easily and cheaply made, which is much more positive and therefore reliable and therefore satisfactory in use than devices heretofore made, and which is not readily liable to get out of order. The invention further consists in many features and'details of construction hereafter more fully set forth in the specification and claims.

Referring to the drawings in which like numerals represent the same parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a central sectional view through a flashlight hand lamp equipment illustrating this invention in its preferred form, the same showing an all metallic case for the lamp mechanism and showing (full lines) the position of the switch mechanism with the lamp lighted and in dotted lines indicating the position of the parts when the lamp is extinguished.

Fig. 2 is a plan view taken on the line 2-2, Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an inverted plan view taken on the line 3-3, Fig. 1..

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view of the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 19. 1921.

Application filed November 8, 1919. Serial No. 336,610.

Fig. is a sectional detail view of the mechanism of Fig. 1 at right angles thereto dlffermg therefrom, however, in that the outer case is made of fiber instead of metal.

F 1g. 6 is a perspective View of a metallic conductor used in the structure of Fig. 5.

F1g. 7 is a plan view taken on the line 77 of Fig. 5.

Pocket hand lamp shown in Fig. l of the drawings comprises a tubular metallic case 10, closed at its bottom with a cap 12, and at its upper end with a cap 14: perforated in the usual manner to allow the lens 16 to protrude therefrom. Immediately ad'- jacent to and inside the lens is the usual parabolic reflector 18 provided with an electric light bulb 20 whose outer terminal 22- .is connected through the metal of the re iiector to the metal case or shell and thence through the spring 24 within the cap 12 to the lower terminal of the battery 26 contained within the lower portion of the lamp case, the upper terminal 28 of the battery being located in substantial alinement with but at a substantial distance from the inner or central terminal 32 of the lamp.

The case construction of Figs. 5, 6, and 7 differs from that just set forth only in that a tubular member 34 of fiber or other insulating material, well understood in the art is substituted for the metallic tubular cash member 10 and the electrical connection instead of through the metal case 10 as shown in Fig. 1.

In carrying out this invention, there is applied inside the case approximately midway between these termmals 23 and 32, an insulating plate or disk designated 4.0 in both Fig. 1 and Fig. 5, this notwithstanding the fact that the disk of Fig. 5 differs from that of Fig. 1 in the non-essential detail of being notched at 44 to receive the vertically extendin conductor 36, heretofore referred to. s in the prior art, this disk is rigidly secured by any suitable means to the outer case so as to prevent the battery 26 ever contacting with lamp terminal 32 and breaking the lamp. Insulating disk 40 is provided, usually at one side of its center, with a transverse perforation 46, and is also provided transversely of the axis of the lamp case with a perforation.

In the particular case here shown, this perforation happens to be circular. Traveling through perforation 48 in the disk and registering perforations in opposite sides of the case 10 or 34 is a pin or plunger 50. As perforation 48 intersects opening 46, plunger 50 also travels through opening 46. Plunger-50 is made of a greater length thanthe diameter of the lamp case so that the operator can, by pressing either end which happens to be outside the case, move it in the direction pressed crosswise of the case. Therefore the operator can move it from the full line to the dotted line in Fig. 1 and back again at will. Rigidly secured to the top of the insulating plate 40 by any suitable means, as for instance screws 52, is a flexible metallic switch member or connector member preferably of spring mate rial, one of Whose ends 54 always engages terminal 32 of the lamp, while the other end 56 always enters the upper end of opening 46 and the intersecting portion of opening 48 and engages pin 50 reciprocatable therein.

It is important to note that the securing device, viz., the screws 52 divide the metallic switch member into two separate parts having distinct functions. The end portion 54 provides a spring cushion connection between the partition and lamp which takes up any jar caused by the battery moving toward, and perhaps striking the partitionand at the same time through engaging the lamp by spring pressure contact only, permits instant detachment of the lam on unscrewing the lamp from the reflector. Again when the lamp is once in place the end portion 54 remains at rest in the compartment between the partition and lamp, thus avoiding wear on the lamp and conseguent danger of electrical injury thereto. n the other hand end portion 56 is a spring which vibrates each time plunger" 50 is reciprocated, without its vibrations being in any way transmitted to the lamp.

Similarly, rigidly secured to the under side of the insulating disk 40 by any suitable means as screws 58 is a spring metallic contact member having one end 60 always in contact with terminal 28 of battery 26 and its other end 62 always entering recess 46 and engaging pin 50. Here again the spring construction is important in that the end 60 has nothing to do but resist movement of the battery toward the partition 40.

while end portion 62 is free to vibrate each [time the plunger 50 is reciprocated. The

insulating reciprocatable pin 50 carries. at the proper point along its length, an electrical conductor member for electrically connecting members 56 and 62. The proper polnt is that shown in full lines Fig. 1. In the particular case here illustrated, the conductor member takes the form of a circular band 64 made sufficiently narrow so that when the plunger 50 is moved to the dotted 1 line position of Fig. 1, member 64 will no longer be between members 56 and 62 and current will no longer flow.

In the particular case here illustrated, plunger 50 is provided with a circumferential recess 66 within whichband 64 is secured and it is also provided with an adjacent circumferential recess within which the contact members 62 and 56 rest when the circuit is broken and the parts are in the dotted line position of Fig. 1. These circumferential recesses are not at all necessary to electrical operation of the mechanism but they do serve the useful function of allowing the contact members 56 and 62 to slip more or less quickly over the ridge 70 between them thus assisting quick breaking of the electrical circuit and also enabling the operator to feel the movement of the switch from open to closed position or vice versa as he pushes member 50 and thus prevents his -wasting unnecessary energy in pushing the member 50 too far into the case.

In the operation of the mechanism, the structure is assembled as shown in the drawing and the plunger 50 is moved to full line position of Fig. 1 to light lamp 20 and moved to the dotted line position of that figure to extinguish the lamp.

The plunger being inclose proximity to the switch contact members; being relatively short and being the only part having a very substantial movement insures very great positiveness and accuracy of operation.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a device of the class described, a lamp case, a dividing partition across the case, a pair of switch members on opposite sides of the partition and a member rocatable radially of the case adapted to electrically connect and disconnect said switch members.

2. In a device of the class described, a lamp case, a dividing partition across the case, a pair of switch members on opposite sides of the partition and a member reciprocatable radially of the case in a perforation formed through the case and partition adapted to electrically connect and discon- 12 nect said switch members.

3. In a device of the class described, a lamp case, a dividing partition across the case perforated in one portion, a pair'of switch members on opposite sides of the partition having portions extending into said perforation in the partition, and an operating member reciprocatable through another perforation in the partition, carrying a connecting member adapted, in one p0.

recip- 110 sition only of the reciprocating member, to connect said switch members across said firstopening in the partition for the purposes set forth.

4. A device of the class described, the combination of a suitable case containing a battery and an electric lamp each having two terminals, means connecting one terminal of the battery with one terminal of the lamp, the other remaining terminals being in proximity to each other, an insulating plate between the last mentioned terminals of the lamp and battery, switch members on opposite sides 0t said insulating plate, contacting respectively the adjacent lamp and battery terminal, there being a recess formed in the insulating plate through which said switch members may be connected together and a member reciprocatable in proximity to the plate and across the case carrying a conductor member adapted in one position of said reciprocatable member to connect said contacts and in another position of said reciprocatable member to be out of contact.

5. In mechanism of the class described, an electric switch device for use in a flash lamp comprising a supporting plate of insulating material, an insulated reciprocated member traveling therethrough and having extending ends so that the operator can readily move it in either direction, electrical contact members on opposite sides in the main insulating member engaging opposite sides of the movable member through suitable openings provided in the insulating member therefor, and means carried by the reciprocatable member affording electrical connection in one position only of the reciprocating member between said electric contact members.

6. In a device of the class described, the combination of a suitable case containing a battery and a lamp having oppositely disposed substantially separated terminals, a partition rigidly secured across the case between the battery and lamp and at a substantial distance from each, a spring switch member, rigidly secured, intermediate of its ends, to the lamp side of the partition with one end portion extending along the partition and entering a transverse recess formed therein, the other end portion extending to the adjacent lamp terminal,

spring contacting the terminal and holding the lamp away from the partition, a corresponding switch member on the battery side of the partition having one end portion contacting the battery and tending to hold it away from the partition while the other end portion enters said transverse recess in the partition to a point adjacent to but distinctly separate from the upper switch member, and an operating member reciprocatable through another perforation in said partition, and registering perforations in said case. carrying a connecting member, adapted in one position only of the reciprocating member to connect said switch members across said first mentioned transverse recess in the partition, for the purposes set forth. v

7. In a device of the class described, the combination of a suitable case containing a battery and a lamp having oppositely disposed substantially separated terminals, a partition rigidly secured across the case between the battery and lamp and at a substantial distance from each, a spring switch member, rigidly secured, intermediate of its ends, to the lamp side of the partition with one end portion extending along the partition and entering a transverse recess formed therein, the other end portion extending to the adjacent lamp terminal, spring contacting the terminal and holding the lamp away from the partition, a corresponding switch member on the battery side of the partition having one end portion contacting the battery and tending to hold it away from the partition while the other end portion enters said transverse recess in the partition to a point adjacent to but distinctly separate from the upper switch member, and an operating member reciprocatable through another perforation in said partition to make electrical connection between the switch members from opposite sides of the partition entering the first mentioned transverse recess in the partition, for the purposes set forth.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN GRAVES.

Witnesses D. E. WYRE, P. A. BRIGGS. 

